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The app, which was designed by medical students, uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) concepts to help smokers resist the urge to reach for a cigarette.

It includes personal targets, progress-tracking and videos delivered by an animated personal doctor.

‘As medical students, almost every day we see patients who are suffering from the consequences of smoking cigarettes; many of whom want to quit but lack the necessary support,’ said Yusuf Sherwani, a student at Imperial College London.

‘We really hope this app takes off and transforms the support available to them. We believe it could be a game-changer.’

The details of the project were presented at the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting in London.

A consultant lung specialist and chair of the Society’s Tobacco Special Advisory Group called the project ‘really interesting’ and said it had the added benefit of being ‘cost-effective’ because of smartphone technology.